Qantas handlers threaten 20kg baggage-limit

[kooky]

Qantas handlers threaten 20kg baggage-limit - Travel - theage.com.au

 

[Dave Noble]

Seems to be reasonable with Health and Safety to me to limit the weight that 1 person should lift

The article seems flawed in the 1st class allowance since 40Kg is the total allowance, not the per piece allowance

Dave

 

[pax1a]

Seems to be reasonable with Health and Safety to me to limit the weight that 1 person should lift

The article seems flawed in the 1st class allowance since 40Kg is the total allowance, not the per piece allowance

Dave

The current QANTAS (and most airline) limit is 32kg for a single piece. At about 28kg you get a heavy tag added to your luggage. I'm Plat Enrich member so with Malaysian I get 60kg, no single bag over 32kg in first.

In AU, I don't see a lot of bags with Heavy tags on the luggage on the carousel, so I suspect the average weight per bag must be around 22kg.
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Lots of industries deal with >20kg weights, it's a scam I suspect (no love here for baggage handlers)[/FONT]

 

[Mal]

[FONT=&quot]
Lots of industries deal with >20kg weights, it's a scam I suspect (no love here for baggage handlers)[/FONT]

But do they have to crawl through confined spaces with bags like the baggage handlers do with the 737's?

I don't stick up for anyone in this battle. Qantas has reasons why they should allow certain bags, and they should have staff which can handle them. From the baggage handler's perspective, I also agree with some of their points.

If a 20kg bag limit was introduced it would be a shame IMHO.

 

[JohnK]

I agree with baggage handlers on this issue. We do not realise how heavy our luggage is until we have to lift it a few times.

Late last month I came back from BKK with 2 bags and one of the them was exactly 23kgs. I was a struggle to lift in/out of taxi not only for me but for taxi drivers and hotel porters as well. I would hate to be doing that 100's of times a day.

 

[drron]

Well are our baggage handlers weaker than their American counterparts who can lift 50lbs-nearly 23kg.I have no problems lifting my 23kg luggage.If they are going to reduce the limit how about having some consistency in the OW alliance.
On my last DJ flight my bag weighed 20.1kg-no extra charge but it was tagged with a heavy tag.

 

[Evan]

Well for whatever reason 23kgs is a common weight used by airlines.
20kgs... hmm my bag nearly always gets tagged heavy at 22-23kgs, and mine nearly allways weights between 20 and 25kgs.

Its not that 20kgs is that much weight at all its that its awkward to handle odd shapes and larger peices so your not got the weight in a comfortable or safe position when lifting etc.

Its no supprise to me that handlers have injurys, it cant be an easy job doing that all day.

Having said all this is the limit was 32kgs and you could take 2 bags i would not see an issue with this, not as great for us but a decent compromise.

E

 

[serfty]

But do they have to crawl through confined spaces with bags like the baggage handlers do with the 737's? ...

There's less 737 crawling than one would imagine.

Hand loading is still the deal; however, they have a sort of internal conveyor belt known to the handlers as a 'magic carpet'. Their cross section is something like this "\_/" and they move the bags through the body of the fuselage.

 

[Flying Fox]

The 32kg standard has been in place for many years and QF claim that they are now using better technology to deal with these issues. Plus not all bags weigh in at 32kgs, I would guess that very few do. In fact I haven't checked a single bag through in the last 12mths so these guys have been given a 20kg 'holiday' each time.

Does that mean we are getting weaker whilst we all live longer when compared to 20 yrs ago?

Does anyone remember RSI.... what happened to that? Wasn't the next fad DVT?

I'm not saying that these didn't exist but surely common sense would rule the day?